Every social media account in Turkey is about to be tied to a government-issued identity number. Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced on April 3 that global platforms have agreed to the system and that a three-month transition begins once legislation passes parliament. Accounts that remain unverified get shut down.
“Social media will now be accessed with real information and personal identity. We have reached an agreement with social media platforms,” Gürlek said. He didn’t name which companies signed on.
The plan requires users to submit their TC Kimlik number, the unique 11-digit identifier assigned to every Turkish citizen from birth, linked to government databases containing names, birth dates, family records, and biometric data. Gürlek framed anonymous accounts as engines of disinformation and harassment. “If someone insults others or carries out a smear campaign online, they must face the consequences,” he said.
The official justification doesn’t survive contact with Turkey’s own record. Cybersecurity specialists have pointed out that IP addresses and internet access logs already let authorities trace anonymous users. The government doesn’t need your national ID on every post. It needs you to know it’s there.
Hellbound and Down 